Portraits of Kalindra
by tklivory
Summary: These are short snippets of stories based on my character Kalindra Tabris (there are also spoilers here, so please read *Hope for Light* first!) Each piece will be directly related to an image I have listed in my profile. These are generally going to be light, fluffy pieces with a bit of romance, and are designed to expand her main story of Hope for Light. Enjoy!
1. Inspiration

"What did you do yesterday?" Kalindra asked him, a light teasing in her tone. "It must have been _so_ lonely, being by yourself for that long."

"You know me, I just fall to pieces when you can't come in to work." Daveth's arm slipped around her waist as he pulled her closer. His bed was very warm, if a bit small, but then, as he always claimed, so was she. Pressing his lips to her temple, he murmured, "How's Shianni, by the by?"

"Better. Her wrist needs to be wrapped up for a while, but she'll live." A grin crossed her face. "And complain about it the entire time it's healing."

"It could be worse," he pointed out. "She could have been hurt _by_ the merchant, instead of spraining her wrist decking him one."

She giggled. "Yeah, they don't expect us to object _quite_ that strongly when they try to charge us five times the price they charge you shems for a basket of fruit." With a sigh, she leaned her head back on his pillow. His body warmth lulled her, and she let her eyelids drag shut. "Slim and I had a talk with that merchant, too."

"Oh, and I missed it!" He dramatically slapped his hand on his forehead. "You know how much I love twitting people about that kind of thing."

"Especially since you did it yourself at first," she said, poking him in the side _right_ where she knew he was ticklish.

"Hey, take that back!" He poked her back, where _she_ was ticklish, and it quickly devolved into a more intimate give and take.

Later, as they lay naked together, she ran her fingers through the hair on his chest - still somewhat of a novelty for her, given elvish anatomy - and craned her neck to look up at him. "So what _did_ you do yesterday?"

"Oh, just finished a little project I was working on. We could go look at it if you like."

Intrigued, she sat up and stretched languorously "All right." She squealed when he reached over and slapped her lightly on the rump as he got out of bed, and scrambled after him to repay the favor.

When she left his tiny bedroom and found him in the kitchen, however, she stopped. Her eyes widened as he turned to face her and swept his hand with a flourish across the large paper he'd pinned to the wall with a small dagger. "So, what d'you think? Should I quit my night job and become an artist?"

She didn't reply as she approached him, transfixed by the work of art. "That— that's me," she whispered.

"Work with what you know," he said. His hand reached out and stroked along her cheek. "And we've been together for a while now, even before I convinced you to do more than glare at me on occasion."

"It— It's beautiful. I didn't know you could draw, let alone something like this." She moved even closer, reaching up to touch it for a moment.

"Hmm, a good inspiration'll do for me any time." He pursed his lips. "Still… I'm not exactly poor now, present quarters notwithstanding, and I think I'd prefer working next to you every night to being a starving artist." Sweeping her into his arms, he pulled her up into one of his long, lingering kisses, the ones he used when he wanted to 'make her ears curl'.

And they were usually successful.

She let her fingers trail down his muscular back to his waist and below, curling around the sculpted muscle and squeezing lightly. When he released her, she licked her lips and then smiled. "Maybe you'd prefer to do a nude study?"

His grin threatened to break his face. "Now _that_ is an offer I can't refuse."


	2. Words

_This scene for Kalindra and Nelaros takes place after the wedding ceremony in Hope for Light but before the events of the Wedding Feast the following day._

_._

_.~^~.~^~.~^~.~^~.~^~._

_._

Kalindra relaxed on Nelaros' chest, her arm lying across his bare chest. His fingers trailed up and down her spine, sending delightful shivers across her skin. Their legs were tangled together under the light blanket, and the sweat lingered in the cool night air.

She heard a chuckle deep in his chest and smiled. "Now what are you thinking? If it's that trick with the ear again, I need a bit more time to recover first."

His hand interrupted its languorous stroking to slap her rump lightly. "No, although thank you for reminding me to try it on the other ear later." She bit her lip as a warmth went through her at the memory of when he'd used it on the _first _ear, but his hand resumed its light wandering. "No, I was thinking of how _appropriate_ my first words were to you, given current circumstances."

"Oh?" She shifted so that she could see his face, her hair falling like a curtain over his hairless chest, and she felt the little shiver as he reacted. _Hmm, something _else_ to save for later. _"What exactly were those?"

"Don't you remember? I said, '_I am a lucky man to be so warmly welcomed.'" _He caught up her lips in a kiss, and for a timeless moment they became lost in one another once more. Without thought she leaned into him, pressing herself against him as she reveled in the unabashed way he savored every curve of her mouth with his lips and tongue. When their lips finally parted, she felt life stirring below once more, and she slipped a hand down to encourage it.

"I seem to remember other words that I think are a bit more suited to the moment." Her fingers moved over the blanket for a few strokes, then reached underneath the blanket and applied themselves in a more intimate fashion.

Nelaros shuddered as his head fell back against the pillow, his hand reaching down to knead the curve of her ass and pull her up slightly. "Ahh, I— I must admit, words are… rather hard, right now."

She chuckled as she lightly began to apply her nails to the inside of his thighs, rewarded by a drawn-out groan from the man beneath her. "Don't worry, words won't be alone in that for too long."

He barked a short laugh before groaning again as her fingers changed targets yet again. "So… what did I - _nnh_ - say?"

"Hmm, let me think." She leaned over and slowly wrapped her lips around his nipple, teasing it lightly with her teeth. "I think it was, _'I'll spend every waking moment learning to make you happy.'_ Quite romantic, I thought."

"Did I say that, or—" His hands wrapped around her waist and pulled her to sit astride him, his eyes moving over her naked torso. "—or did you say that?" When her hand reached up to fondle her own breast, he began to grind her, slowly but surely, from below.

"Does it matter?" she asked breathily as she leaned down to kiss him again. Her hands buried themselves into his hair as they gently learned each other, a process that had been going on for hours with varying amounts of vigor. It was almost impossible to believe they had only been married mere hours before as the last rays of sun had caressed the leaves of the _Vhenadahl, _yet each moment had been a treasure.

Time melted away as their skin again acquired the sheen of sweat, the small room ringing with their gasps and moans. This time they ended with him over her, his final thrust pushing her deep into the worn mattress beneath. His hot breath poured over her neck as his lips relinquished the skin of her neck, and the sweet stinging of mild pain let her feel where he'd placed a Kiss of Love on her. Heaving himself half up so that he could look at her face, his fingers gently pushed her hair away from her eyes.

"You look… radiant." Though he was still a bit out of breath, each word rang with sincerity. She smiled as he leaned down to kiss her lightly before falling into the bed next to her. After a few moments of rearranging their spent limbs, she settled against his chest and listened to his heart beat for a few moments.

As sleep claimed her, she again smiled and sighed with contentment. She'd found a man to live her life with, and deep inside a happy young girl fulfilled a promise made to a mother taken too soon. _This is a man to make me happy, Mother._

And tomorrow at the Wedding Breakfast, she would make sure all of Denerim learned of her feelings.


End file.
